Last week, in a room full of Cal State LA students, a young man told Los Angeles City Council candidate Ysabel Jurado that he supported the idea of abolishing the police and that he wanted to know what his position was on the issue.
Jurado’s response, which included the phrase “F— the police, that’s how I see them,” drew sharp criticism this week in parts of the Eastside, where she is seeking to unseat City Councilman Kevin of Leon.
On Wednesday, De León confirmed that Martin Perez, one of his collaborators, is the Cal State LA student who asked the question.
De León declined to say whether Pérez, who manages his office’s constituent services, recorded Jurado’s remarks, which were first published Monday on the Westside Current website. But he praised his aide, saying Jurado had evaded questions about abolishing the police.
“He got the answer we asked for [during] five straight debates about why she wants to abolish the police,” he said. “And she confirmed it with a very vulgar and rude “F—the police.”
Jurado’s remarks at the Cal State meeting in Los Angeles provided an unexpected jolt to the campaign for the 14th District, which encompasses all or parts of downtown, Boyle Heights, El Sereno and Eagle Rock. De León is struggling to move on from a two-year-old scandal over another recording – one containing crude and racist remarks – and faces a fierce opponent in Jurado, a specialist lawyer in tenants’ rights who has never run for office before.
Council member Monica Rodriguez called Jurado’s use of the phrase immature, while council member Bob Blumenfield called it “incredibly offensive.” The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which supports De León and represents about 8,800 police officers, is now running 30-second attack ads criticizing Jurado.
“His plan for public safety starts with an F-bomb,” the ad says.
In recent weeks, Jurado has pushed back against claims that she intends to defund the police, while also saying that too much money is being spent on the LAPD, putting the city on the brink of a financial crisis.
On Monday, she downplayed her use of “F— the police,” saying it was “just a lyric” from a rap song. Although she didn’t specify which song, its lyrics parallel parts of NWA’s “F— Tha Police” and Kanye West’s “All Falls Down.”
Jurado declined to comment on Perez on Wednesday. But she described the police union publicity as “just noise.”
“Our community is focused on how they are going to put food on the table and pay their rent on time – not the lyrics of the songs,” she said in a statement. “That’s why we are more determined than ever to meet their needs and be their champions at City Hall.” This campaign aims to produce results, not to distract.
Perez declined an interview request from The Times. In the recording of the meeting, he began his question by emphasizing that he lives in the municipal district and is “an East Los Angeles punk.”
More than a dozen people attended the event and several recorded different questions and answers, said Elliot Avila, a Cal State LA student who took part in the discussion. Nevertheless, Ávila said he was convinced that Pérez recorded Jurado’s remarks.
“He’s the one who claims to be a police abolitionist, and he’s clearly working for Kevin de León,” he said. “The only person with any motivation to do that would be him.”
Avila, who plans to vote for Jurado, said his entire response to the abolition question was actually “centrist.” After using the phrase “F— the police,” Jurado pointed out that some of his constituents want more police and said the LAPD needs to focus on violent crime.
“She met [Perez] where he was, and then returning to a more centrist, pragmatic position,” Avila said. “I wish she would have taken much stronger action against the police.”
Perez has been an assistant to De León for about a year and a half, according to his LinkedIn profile. He founded and managed a clothing company in the “vibrant East Los Angeles punk scene” while also working as a security guard, the profile states.
Perez volunteered for De León’s re-election campaign, went door-to-door, did phone banking, and created “artwork for tote bags intended to be used by other staff members,” his profile states.
Jurado identified herself as an abolitionist – someone who supports “police abolition and the “prison industrial complex” – in a questionnaire she submitted to the Democratic Socialists of America-Los Angeles.
De León attacked that position, saying it would leave neighborhoods from downtown to Boyle Heights vulnerable to violent crime. Earlier this week, he called Jurado’s use of the F-bomb “irresponsible,” saying wealthy neighborhoods will always have the option to hire security personnel.
“Poor neighborhoods, low-income neighborhoods, neighborhoods that struggle every day to make ends meet, also deserve public safety,” he told KTLA.
Jurado pushed back against suggestions that she was considering defunding the LAPD, saying she wanted officers to focus on gangs, drugs and violent crime.
On the campaign trail, she also argued that the city’s approach to public safety “isn’t working,” saying more money should be spent on street lighting, sidewalk repairs and programs for young people.
